Odd behavior after trauma.

[JBMpls]

I had two chickens. Yes, just two. Small yard.

About a week and a half ago here in MN the heat index got up to around 115 degrees. When one of our hens went into lay, she never came back out. She seemed to be the dominant bird - the one that died I mean. Now our other hen won't go back into the coop. She roots in a thick bush all night. We tried putting her back in the coop and keeping her isolated to just the run and the coop hoping it would fix the behavior, but it hasn't.

This bird also stopped laying. She gave us eggs for about 4 months straight. Stopped. Gave us about 2 1/2 weeks more and then stopped and hasn't started again. She'd stopped before the other hen died. The other hen laid right up until she passed.

Any thoughts on how to "fix" either of these behaviors?

 

[ReikiStar]

Get another chicken. At least it will distract her. She probably thinks there is a chicken killing monster in the nesting box given the other chicken perished there. I've seen chickens afraid of areas after something traumatic occurs. They are actually very observant. When you're a prey animal...you have to be.

 

[janinepeters]

Yes, she really needs some flock mates. As for the laying, maybe the stress of the heat did it. Then add to that the stress of losing her only flock mate. Not too surprising she stopped laying.

Another thought: is she really roosting in the bush, or has she made a nest there? Maybe she is broody and has decided that is where to set. That would account for both behaviors: refusal to roost in coop, and cessation of laying.